Tech PLC: Google Docs Intro

Google Docs is basically an online (and free) version of Microsoft Office- Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Here is Google's own introductory tour of Google Docs, and here is Google's complete overview of Google Docs from an education perspective. For me, the advantages of Google Docs over Microsoft Office include the following:

• Student work is instantly saved and available from any internet computer (no more lost attachments or printer issues)
• Files can be shared with other students for easy collaboration and peer editing
• Files can be shared with me for easy rough draft commenting and feedback
• Complete revision history is available for all documents- I can tell how long a student has worked on an assignment, and if a mistake is made, a previous version can be recovered
• Online forms are very easy to make, and all results are stored in a spreadsheet

One other thing...

I'd like to put a quick plug in for Jing. It's a great tool for sharing tech tips like this. It's also a nice way to answer student email questions as well. Its a free download- install in the MyApps folder. Let me know if you need help...

I'd also like to put in a plug for iChat. It gives a great way for us to communicate instantly during the school day. Let me know if you need help getting it up and going...